The Graces Derived from Meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary

The Graces Derived from Meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary

To encourage you still more in this devotion practiced by so many holy people, I should like to add that the Rosary recited with the meditation of the mysteries brings about the following marvelous results:

(1) It gradually brings us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;

(2) It purifies our souls from sin;

(3) It gives us victory over all our enemies;

(4) It makes the practice of virtue easy'

(5) It sets us on fire with the love of our Lord;

(6) It enriches us with graces and merits;

(7) It supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellowmen, and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces from God.

Blessed is the Rosary which gives us this science and knowledge of our Blessed Lord through our meditations on his life, death, passion and glory.

taken from The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort

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You Light Up Your Grace of Body with the Radiance of Your Mind

You Light Up Your Grace of Body with the Radiance of Your Mind

From a book on virginity, by St Ambrose:

You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendour of soul. More than others you can be compared to the Church. When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment.

  

This is the person Christ has loved in loving you, the person he has chosen in choosing you. He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive. Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing.  

What does his bride say? I sought him, and did not find him; I called him, and he did not hear me. Do not imagine that you are displeasing to him despite having called him, asked him in, and opened the door to him; and that this is the reason why he has gone so quickly – no, for he allows us to be constantly tested. When the crowds pressed him to stay, what does he say in the Gospel? I must preach the word of God to other cities, because for that I have been sent. But even if it seems to you that he has left you, go out and seek him once more.

Sister Josefa Menendez's Description of Hell

Sister Josefa Menendez's Description of Hell

"I saw several souls fall into Hell, and among them was a child of fifteen, cursing her parents for not having taught her to fear God nor that there was a Hell. Her life had been a short one, she said, but full of sin, for she had given in to all that her body and passions demanded in the way of satisfaction..." (March 22, 1923).

"My soul fell into abysmal depths, the bottom of which cannot be seen, for it is immense. . . ; Then I was pushed into one of those fiery cavities and pressed, as it were, between burning planks, and sharp nails and red-hot irons seemed to be piercing my flesh. I felt as if they were endeavoring to pull out my tongue, but could not. This torture reduced me to such agony that my very eyes seemed to be starting out of their sockets. I think this was because of the fire which burns, burns. . . not a finger nail escapes terrifying torments, and all the time one cannot move even a finger to gain some relief, not change posture, for the body seems flattened out and [yet] doubled in two. Sounds of confusion and blasphemy cease not for an instant. 

A sickening stench asphyxiates and corrupts everything, it is like the burning of putrefied flesh, mingled with tar and sulfur. . . a mixture to which nothing on earth can be compared. . . although these tortures were terrific, they would be bearable if the soul were at peace. But it suffers indescribably. . . All I have written," she concluded, "is but a shadow of what the soul suffers, for no words can express such dire torment." (September 4, 1922).

"Others curse their tongues, their eyes... whatever was the occasion of their sin... 'Now, O body, you are paying the price of the delights you granted yourself!.. and you did it of your own free will... '" (April 2, 1922). (That is, illegitimate delights).

"It seemed to me that the majority accused themselves of sins of impurity, of stealing, of unjust trading; and that most of the damned are in Hell for these sins." (April 6, 1922).

"I saw many worldly people fall into Hell, and no words can render their horrible and terrifying cries: 'Damned forever... I deceived myself; I am lost... I am here forever... There is no remedy possible... a curse on me...'

A Description of God, Given by Holy Angels

A Description of God, Given by Holy Angels to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Our Queen and Lady, if you wish again to hear us speak of the tokens of thy beloved that we know of, consider that He is beauty itself and that He contains within Himself all the perfection's beyond all desire. He is amiable without defect, delightful beyond comparison, pleasing without the least flaw. In wisdom He is inestimable, in goodness without measure, in power boundless, in greatness immeasurable, in essence infinite. In judgments He is terrible, His counsels inscrutable, in His words most true, in His works holy, rich in mercies. Space cannot overreach Him, narrowness cannot confine Him, sorrow cannot disturb Him, joy cannot cause any change in Him; nor does He ever fail in His Wisdom, or change in His will; abundance cannot overwhelm or want come near Him; memory adds nothing, forgetfulness takes nothing from His knowledge; what was is not past for Him; the beginning gave no origins to His being, and time will bring to Him no end. Without being caused, He causes all things, and He has not need of anything but all things need participation in Him; He preserves them without labor, He governs them without confusion. Those who know Him are happy, who love and extol Him, are blessed; for He exalts His friends, and at last glorifies them by His eternal vision and loving companionship.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, "The Mystical City of God"
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Revelations on Purgatory from Faustina's Diary

Revelations on Purgatory from Faustina's Diary

It was at that time that I asked the Lord for whom else should I pray for. Jesus said that on the following night He would let me know for whom I should pray.  (The next night) I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God.

I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call her “The Star of the Sea.” She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it. Since that time, I am in closer communion with the suffering souls. (Diary, 20)

One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me. She was a sister of the first choir. I saw her in a terrible condition, all in flames with her face painfully distorted. This lasted only a short time, and then she disappeared. A shudder went through my soul because I did not know whether she was suffering in Purgatory or in hell. Nevertheless, I redoubled my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and despair was written all over her face. I was astonished to see her in a worse condition after the prayers I had offered for her, and I asked, “Haven’t my prayers helped you?” She answered that my prayers had not helped her and that nothing would help her. I said to her, “And the prayers which the whole community has offered for you, have they not been any help to you?” She said no, that these prayers had helped some other souls. I replied, “If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please stop coming to me.” She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on praying.

The Necessity of Sanctifying Ourselves..

The Necessity of Sanctifying Ourselves..

The Will of God

3. Faithful soul, living image of God, redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, it is the will of God that you be holy like Him in this life and glorious like Him in the next. Your sure vocation is the acquisition of the holiness of God, and unless all your thoughts and words and actions, all the sufferings and events of your life tend to that end, you are resisting God by not doing that for which He has created you and is now preserving you. [1] Oh, what an admirable work! To change that which is dust into light, to make pure that which is unclean, holy that which is sinful, to make the creature like its Creator, man like God! Admirable work, I repeat, but difficult in itself, and impossible to mere nature; only God by His grace, by His abundant and extraordinary grace, can accomplish it. Even the creation of the whole world is not so great a masterpiece as this.

 Means of Sanctification

4. Predestinate soul, how are you to do it? What means will you choose to reach the height to which God calls you? The means of salvation and sanctification are known to all; they are laid down in the Gospel, explained by the masters of the spiritual life, practiced by the Saints, and necessary to all who wish to be saved and to attain perfection. They are humility of heart, continual prayer, mortification in all things, abandonment to Divine Providence and conformity to the will of God.

 5. To practice all these means of salvation and sanctification, the grace of God is absolutely necessary. No one can doubt that God gives His grace to all, in a more or less abundant measure. I say in a more or less abundant measure, for God, although infinitely good, does not give equal grace to all, yet to each soul He gives sufficient grace.

God Chastises Us in This Life for Our Good, Not for our Destruction

 

God Chastises Us in This Life for Our Good, Not for our Destruction

"Non enim delectaris in perditionibus nostris." For thou art not delighted in our being lost." - Job 3:22

Let us feel persuaded, my brethren, that there is no one who loves us more than God. St. Teresa says that God loves us more than we love ourselves. He has loved us from eternity. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. -----Jer. 31:3. It is the love He has borne us which has drawn us from nothing, and given us being. Therefore have I drawn Thee, taking pity on Thee. -----Jer. 31:3. Hence, when God chastises us upon the earth, it is not because He wishes to injure us, but because He wishes us well, and loves us. But of this every one is sure that worshippeth Thee, that His life, if it be under trial, shall be crowned: and if it be under tribulation, shall be delivered. So spoke Sara the wife of Tobias: Lord, he who serves Thee is sure that after the trial shall have passed he shall be crowned, and that after tribulation he shall be spared the punishment which he deserved: For Thou art not delighted in our being lost: because after a storm Thou makest a calm, and after tears and weeping Thou pourest in joyfulness. After the tempest of chastisement He gives us peace, and after mourning, joy and gladness.

My brethren, let us convince ourselves of what I have undertaken to show you today, namely, that God does not afflict us in this life for our injury but for our good, in order that we may cease from sin, and by recovering His grace escape eternal punishment.

And I will give My fear in their heart, that they may not revolt from Me. -----Jer. 32:40. The Lord says that He infuses His fear into our hearts, in order that He may enable us to triumph over our passion for earthly pleasures, for which, ungrateful that we are, we have left Him. And when sinners have left Him, how does He make them look into themselves, and recover His grace? By putting on the appearance of anger, and chastising them in this life: In Thy anger Thou shalt break the people in pieces. -----Ps. 55:8. Another version, according to St. Augustine, has: "In Thy wrath Thou shalt conduct the people." The Saint inquiring, What is the meaning of His conducting the people in his wrath? He then replies: "Thou, O Lord, fillest us with tribulations, in order that, being thus afflicted, we may abandon our sins and return to Thee." ---In Ps. 55, n. 13.

Prayer as a Protection and the Love of God

 

"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil"

Humble Spirit of Prayer

However sublime your contemplation may be, make it a point to begin and end your prayer with the realization of your nothingness. Continue always to walk in fear. If your prayer is from God, you will very often, in spite of yourself, reflect upon your own unworthiness, and you will have no need of this counsel. Such prayer engenders humility and always gives us greater light to perceive our nothingness. I shall not insist further, as you can consult many books on this matter. I have spoken about it because I have personally encountered these temptations, and have often suffered great anguish from them. I merely add that nothing that one might say is sufficient to insure us complete security.

Need of Constant Protection Against Wiles of Satan

O Eternal Father, since things are so, what can we do but have recourse to Thee, and beg Thee not to permit our enemies to lead us into temptations? If only they would attack us openly! Then we could more easily free ourselves with Thy help. But, who, O my God, will unmask their secret schemes? We have constant need of Thy protection. Speak, O Lord, some word that will enlighten and assure us. Thou knowest full well that those who travel the way of prayer are not numerous. And there will be even fewer, if, as one attempts to advance, one is beset with so many fears.

Sinners Under the Dominion of Satan

It is indeed a curious fact that the world seems to think that Satan never tempts those who fail to follow the way of prayer. Hence, it is more astounding to see one single soul, though striving for perfection, fall into some illusion, than it is to view a hundred thousand other persons, living publicly in sin and deceived by Satan. It requires little effort to determine whether these latter are in a good or bad state, for one can clearly see at a thousand leagues away, that they are under the domination of Satan.

The Tree of Life: Its Culture and Growth

 The Tree of Life: Its Culture and Growth

How to Make Mary Live and Reign in Our Souls

Predestinate soul, have you understood, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, what I have tried to explain to you in the preceding pages? If so, be thankful to God, for it is a secret known and understood by only a few. If you have found the treasure hidden in the field of Mary, the precious pearl of the Gospel, sell all that you have in order to buy it. You must make the sacrifice of yourself to the Blessed Mother, you must disappear in her, so that you may find God alone.

If the Holy Ghost has planted in your soul the true Tree of Life, which is the devotion that I have just explained to you, you must do all you can to cultivate it, in order that it may yield its fruit in due season. This devotion is like the mustard seed of the Gospel, "which is the least indeed of all seeds, but when it is grown up, is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air [i.e., the predestinate] come and dwell in the branches thereof," and rest in its shade from the heat of the sun and hide there in safety from the beasts of prey.

This is the way, predestinate soul, to cultivate it:

Special Practices of Uniformity

Special Practices of Uniformity

Let us now take up in a practical way the consideration of those matters in which we should unite ourselves to God's will.

1. In external matters. In times of great heat, cold or rain; in times of famine, epidemics and similar occasions we should refrain from expressions like these: "What unbearable heat!" "What piercing cold!" "What a tragedy!" In these instances we should avoid expressions indicating opposition to God's will. We should want things to be just as they are, because it is God Who thus disposes them. An incident in point would be this one: Late one night St. Francis Borgia arrived unexpectedly at a Jesuit house, in a snowstorm. He knocked and knocked on the door, but all to no purpose because the community being asleep, no one heard him. When morning came all were embarrassed for the discomfort he had experienced by having had to spend the night in the open. The Saint, however, said he had enjoyed the greatest consolation during those long hours of the night by imagining that he saw our Lord up in the sky dropping the snowflakes down upon him.

2. In personal matters. In matters that affect us personally, let us acquiesce in God's will. For example, in hunger, thirst, poverty, desolation, loss of reputation, let us always say: "Do Thou build up or tear down, O Lord, as seems good in Thy sight. I am content. I wish only what Thou dost wish." Thus too, says Rodriguez, should we act when the devil proposes certain hypothetical cases to us in order to wrest a sinful consent from us, or at least to cause us to be interiorly disturbed. For example: "What would you say or what would you do if some one were to say or do such and such a thing to you?" Let us dismiss the temptation by saying: "By God's grace, I would say or do what God would want me to say or do." Thus we shall free ourselves from imperfection and harassment.

3. Let us not lament if we suffer from some natural defect of body or mind; from poor memory, slowness of understanding, little ability, lameness or general bad health. What claim have we, or what obligation is God under, to give us a more brilliant mind or a more robust body? Who is ever offered a gift and then lays down the conditions upon which he will accept it? Let us thank God for what, in His pure goodness, He has given us and let us be content too with the manner in which He has given it to us.

Various Kinds of Prayer

Various Kinds of Prayer by St. John Eudes

There are several ways of praying and I shall here set down 

the five most important methods of prayer.

1. Mental Prayer

Nature of Mental Prayer

The first is called mental or interior prayer, in which the soul communes with God, taking as the subject of conversation one of His Divine perfections, or some mystery, virtue or word of His Divine Son, whether something He accomplished in the past, or is doing now, in the order of glory, grace or nature, in His Mother, His Saints, His Church or in the world.

You apply your understanding

You begin the conversation of prayer by applying your understanding to consider with a determined, yet unstrained, attention and effort the truths to be found in the subjects chosen, truths which can arouse the soul to love God and hate sin.

Then make your heart and will

Then make your heart and will produce a few fervent acts of adoration, praise, love, humility, contrition and oblation, with the resolution to avoid evil and do good, according to the prompting of the Spirit of God.

A very great gift

This kind of prayer is more holy, more useful and more filled with blessings than words can convey. For this reason, if God draws you to mental prayer and gives you the grace to practise it, you should indeed thank Him for this very great gift.

List of Catholic Classic Titles...

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List of Catholic Classic Titles...

Abandonment to Divine Providence (by De Caussade)

Ascent to Mount Carmel (by St. John of the Cross)

Canticle of a Soul (by St. John of the Cross)

Catechism of the Catholic Church

City of God and Christian Doctrine (by St. Augustine)

Cleaving to God (by St. Alphonsus de Liguori)

Confessions of St. Augustine (by St. Augustine)

Confessions of St. Patrick (by St. Patrick)

Dark Night of the Soul (by St. John of the Cross)

Dialogue of a Seraphic Virgin (by St. Catherine of Siena)

Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul (by St. Faustina)

Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Charity (by St. Augustine)

Friends of the Cross (by St. Louis de Montfort)

I Wait for You (by Sr. Josefa Menedez)

Interior Castle (by St. Teresa of Avila)

Introduction to the Devout Life (by St. Francis de Sales)

Life Everlasting (by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange)

Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary (by Catherine Anne Emmerich)
Little Book of Eternal Wisdom (by Blessed Henry Suso)

Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi

Love of Eternal Wisdom (by St. Louis de Montfort)

Mary Magdalene: In the Visions of Catherine Anne Emmerich 
Mystical City of God (by Venerable Mary of Agreda)

On Loving God (by Bernard of Clairvaux)

On Christian Doctrine (by St. Augustine)

Orthodoxy (by G.K. Chesterton)

Pieta Prayer Booklet
Prayers and Heavenly Promises

Revelations of Divine Love (by Julian of Norwich)

Revelations of St. Bridget (By St. Bridget of Sweden)
Saints for Sinners (by Archbishop Alban Goodier) 
Saint Maxillian Kolbe - Knight of the Immaculata (by OFM CONV Fr. Jeremiah J. Smith)

Spiritual Canticle (by St. John of the Cross)

Spiritual Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa (by St. Catherine of Genoa)

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola (by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Spiritual Maxims (by John Nicholas Grou, S.J)
St. Catherine of Siena (by F. A. Forbes)
St. Rose of Lima: Patroness of the Americas (by O. SS. R. Sr. Mary Alphonsus)

Story of a Soul (by St. Teresa of Lisieux)

Summa Theologica (by St. Thomas Aquinas)

The Autobiography of Saint Margaret Mary (by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

The Cloud of Unknowing (by Anonymous)

The Confessions of St. Augustine (by St. Augustine)

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (by Anne Catherine Emmerich)

The Four Foundations of Sanctity (by St. John Eudes)

The Four Last Things (by Father Martin Von Cochem O.S.F.C.)

The Glories of Mary (by St. Alphonsus de Liguori)

The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection (St. Alphonsus de Liguori)

The Holy Rule of St. Benedict (by St.  Benedict)

The Imitation of Christ (by Thomas a Kempis)

The Journey of the Mind into God (by St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio)

The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great (by St. Gertrude the Great)
The Little Catechism of The Cure of Ars (by St. John Marie-Baptist Vianney)

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Mind’s Road to God (by St. Bonaventure)

The Pater Noster (by St. Teresa of Avila)

The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ (by St. Alphonsus de Liguori)

The Practice of the Presence of God (by Brother Lawrence)

The Secret of Mary (by St. Louis de Montfort)

The Secret of the Rosary (by St. Louis de Montfort)

The Sinner's Guide (by Ven. Louis of Granada)
The Soul of the Apostolate (by Jean-Baptiste Chautard)

The Spiritual Canticle (by St. John of the Cross)

The Spiritual Combat (by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli)

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola (by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

The Three Ages of the Interior Life (by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange)
The Two Divine Promises (by Fr. Hoppe)

The Way of Divine Love (by Sister Josefa Menendez)

The Way of Perfection (by St. Teresa of Avila)

Treatise on Purgatory (by St. Catherine of Genoa)

Treatise on the Love of God (by St. Francis de Sales)

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (by St. Louis de Montfort)

Uniformity to God's Will (by St. Alphonsus de Liguori)

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How the Heart Should be Gathered Within Itself

How the Heart Should be Gathered Within Itself 

What is more, as is said in the book On the Spirit and the Soul (of St. Augustine), to ascend to God means to enter into oneself. He who entering within and penetrating his inmost nature, goes beyond himself, he is truly ascending to God. So let us withdraw our hearts from the distractions of this world, and recall them to the inner joys, so that we can establish them to some degree in the light of divine contemplation. For this is the life and peace of our hearts - to be established by intent in the love of God, and to be sweetly remade by his comforting. 

But the reason why we are in so many ways hindered in the practical enjoyment of this matter and are unable to get into it is clearly because the human mind is so distracted by worries that it cannot bring its memory to turn within, is so clouded by its imaginations that it cannot return to itself with its understanding, and is so drawn away by its desires that it is quite unable to come back to itself by desire for inner sweetness and spiritual joy. Thus it is so prostrate among the sense objects presented to it that it cannot enter into itself as the image of God. 

It is therefore right and necessary for the mind to raise itself above itself and everything created by the abandonment of everything, with humble reverence and great trust, and to say within itself, He whom I seek, love, thirst for and desire from everything and more than anything is not a thing of the senses or the imagination, but is above everything that can be experienced by the senses and the intellect. He cannot be experienced by any of the senses, but is completely desirable to my will. He is moreover not discernable, but is perfectly desirable to my inner affections. He cannot be comprehended, but can be loved in his fullness with a pure heart, for he is above all lovable and desirable, and of infinite goodness and perfection. And then a darkness comes over the mind and it is raised up into itself and penetrates even deeper. 

Let Us Die With Christ, to Live With Christ

Let Us Die With Christ, to Live With Christ

We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ, and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  

We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Though we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body, but we must desire before all else the gifts of grace.

Go To Joseph! by Saint Teresa of Avila

 

Go To Joseph! by Saint Teresa of Avila

Finding myself so crippled and so young too, and earthly doctors having failed to cure me, I looked to heavenly physicians for help...

I took for my advocate and comforter the glorious Saint Joseph, and commended myself fervently to him; and I clearly saw that it was he who both cured me of my sickness and delivered me from great dangers that threatened my good name and the loss of my soul. His aid has brought me more good than I ever desired to receive from him. I do not remember at any time having asked him for anything which he did not grant. I am quite amazed at the great favors Our Lord has given me, and the many dangers, both of soul and body, from which He has delivered me through the intercession of this blessed saint. Our Lord seems to have given to other saints the power to help us in only one kind of necessity, but I know from experience that this glorious Saint Joseph helps us in all kinds of needs. It appears then that God wishes us to understand that as He was obedient to Joseph when He was on earth (for Saint Joseph was called His father and he could command Him) so now in Heaven God grants whatever Joseph asks.

Others, on my advice, have turned to Saint Joseph and they have had the same experience; and now there are many people who honor him and keep discovering the truth of what I have told them.

I strove to celebrate his feast day [March 19] with all possible solemnity, but I must admit that there was more vanity than true devotion mixed in with the celebration, for I always wanted everything to be done impressively and properly, even though my intentions were good. But it was always a fault of mine that whenever Our Lord gave me the graces to do something good, I added many faults and imperfections with it; whereas when it was a question of doing anything vain, worthless, or bad, I spent much time and effort with it. May Our Lord pardon me!

I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, because long experience has shown me what wonderful blessings he obtains for us from God. Of all those I have known with a true devotion to Saint Joseph, I have never known any who did not advance in virtue, for he assists in a very special way those souls who place themselves under his protection.

For many years now I have always asked favors from him and they were always granted. But if sometimes my petitions had something wrong about them, dear Saint Joseph granted something much better for my own good. Were I a person who had authority to write, I should gladly relate in detail all the favors this dear patron obtained both for me and others; but under obedience I must tell some things briefly, and at length those incidents suggested by my superiors. I only request, for the love of God, that those of you who doubt what I say will prove it for yourselves. And you will see, through experience, how great a blessing it is to commend yourselves to this glorious patriarch, and to be devoted to him. Those persons, especially, who are given to prayer should ever be devoted to him, for I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of Angels, at the time when she suffered so much on account of the Child Jesus, and not give thanks to Saint Joseph for taking care of them the way he did.

Whoever wants a model to imitate on how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as a guide and he will not lose his way!

God grant that I have not committed any error in speaking as I have....for although I profess to be devoted to him, yet I feel I have always failed in imitating his virtues. But he acted like himself, and showed us his virtues when he enabled me to rise and walk, and to be no more a cripple, And I, by making so bad use of this favor, show what sort of person I am.  The Indulgence is a partial one.

by Saint Teresa of Avila

From her Autobiography, Chapter VI

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